Plenty of Twin Cities Representation on the James Beard Awards Semifinalists

Beard season has officially arrived: Today the James Beard Foundation released its list of Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists for 2017 and there are some familiar names on the list from the Twin Cities, along with a couple of pleasant surprises.

Best New Restaurant:

Esker Grove at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Outstanding Baker:

Michelle Gayer, Salty Tart, Minneapolis

Outstanding Bar Program:

Marvel Bar, Minneapolis

Outstanding Chef:

Alex Roberts, Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis

Outstanding Pastry Chef:

Diane Yang, Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis

Best Chef Midwest:

Thomas Boemer, Corner Table, Minneapolis

Mike Brown, Bob Gerken, James Winberg, Travail Kitchen & Amusements, Robbinsdale

Steven Brown, Tilia, Minneapolis

Lisa Carlson, Chef Shack, Bay City, WI

Jim Christiansen, Heyday, Minneapolis

Jorge Guzman, Brewer’s Table at Surly Brewing Co., Minneapolis

Erick Harcey, Upton 43, Minneapolis

Ann Kim, Young Joni, Minneapolis

Find the the full list of this year’s Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists here.

On Wednesday, March 15, the foundation will release its (much shorter) list of final nominees at A.O.C. Restaurant in LA. (For the masses who can’t be present, they’ll also be announced via Twitter and Facebook Live.)

Winners will be announced Monday, May 1 at a gala at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, where the awards have taken place the past two years (previously they were held in New York City every year). The 2017 Media Awards (formerly known as the Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards) will be held on Tuesday, April 25, at Pier Sixty in New York City.